Attachment for sweeper



June 12, 1956 Q TALLY 2,749,564

ATTACHMENT FOR SWEEPER Filed April 24, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 25 Carl E. Tally INVENTOR.

June 12, 1956 c. E. TALLY ATTACHMENT FOR SWEEPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 24, 1953 Carl E. Ta/ly INVENTOR.

BY W

United States Patent ATTACHMENT FOR SWEEPER Carl E. Tally, Clebnrne, Tex.

Application April 24, 1953, Serial No. 350,834

1 Claim. (Cl. 15-79) This invention relates to an attachment for power sweepers and particularly for a device for controlling the elevation of the brush of a power sweeper so that it may be transported or lifted over deleterious material on the surface to be swept.

In the operation of power sweepers of the type having main wheels and control wheels on opposite sides of the rotary sweeping element it is frequently desirable to move the sweeper from place to place or to move the sweeper over a portion of the fioor on which there may be deleterious material.

In the construction according to the present invention an attachment is applied to the sweeper so that the brush may be elevated out of contact with the surface normally to be swept so that the sweeper may be transported from place to place without disturbing the surface over which it passed or may be passed over a surface having deleterious material such as water or oil or other material thereon which would injure the fiber or material with which the brush is constructed. Also, the device is provided with a control roller to hold down loose articles of foreign material such as leaves, paper and the like which are frequently thrown aside from the path of the sweeper instead of being caught up with the brush. This is accomplished by means of a roller adjustably positioned in front of the sweeper and having a cushion surface so that paper, leaves and other material are held down until the sweeping elements approach them so that they will be gathered up by the sweeping element instead of being thrown aside as is frequently the result.

The adjustment of the sweeping element is provided by means of a slidable control bushing mounted in a rigidly positioned bushing on the sweeper so that the auxiliary wheel may be projected to cause the elevation of the sweeper frame so that the brush itself is elevated above the surface normally to be swept.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved sweeping attachment.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a control adjustment for the auxiliary wheels of the sweeper.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a control means for lifting the sweeper element out of contact with the surface to be swept.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means to prevent loose trash from being removed from the path of the sweeper.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a power sweeper having the attachment applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device of Figure 1 showing the method of operation of the control;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the height control adjustment showing the frame of the sweeper in elevated position;

Figure 4 is an enlarged front elevation of the height adjusting mechanism with parts broken away to show the contruction thereof;

Figure 5 is a vertical elevation through the height elevating structure showing the further construction thereof;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the linkage for controlling the elevation of the sweeper frame; and,

Figure 7 is a cross section through a typical hold-down roller according to the invention.

In the exemplary embodiment of the sweeper illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the sweeper has a body 10 having rearwardly projecting handles 12, a forwardly extending frame 16 is fixed on the body 10 and extends forwardly therefrom. Main supporting and power wheels 18 are mounted adjacent the rear portion of the body 10 and a caster wheel 20 is suitably supported on the frame 16 on the opposite, or forward side of a rotary brush 22. A motor not shown is mounted at the position shown at 24, and is provided with suitable driving connections to the brush 22 and the wheels 18 which are protected by means of a guard 26. A bumper 28 is provided in front of the guard 26 to prevent contact of the guard 26 with any post or damaging surface.

A dirt collector 30 is attached behind the body 10 by vertical hooks on either side at top, rear of the body 10. Said dirt collector is provided with caster rollers 32 rearwardly, on either side of the collector 30, which carry the greater portion of the container 30 while a smaller portion of the weight is carried by the vertical hooks on the body 10 mentioned above. Also a connection 34 is provided on the container 30 for the connector rod 36, same being connected to a two wheeled trailer on which the seat is supported. The sweeper has an auxiliary caster wheel 20 in pivotal relation with a threaded shank 58 of the adjusting rod 60 by means of the caster bracket, or fork 62 said adjusting rod 60 fits within a bushing as at 40 welded to the frame 16 as at 42 also there is a hexagonal nut welded to the top of the present bushing as at 40 and the handle, or crank lever 64 is provided in pivotal engagement with the upper end of the adjusting rod 60 so that the rod 60 may be revolved so that the threaded surface 58 and the threaded aperture 56 is to control the desired height of the frame 16 above the sweeping surface so that the brush may be adjusted for wear so that as the brush wears the frame 16 may be lowered with respect to the sweeping surface so that the surface will be effectively swept regardless of the wear to the brush.

The foregoing is a description of an old and well known sweeper, and is no part of this invention.

In order to cause relative movement between the auxiliary wheel 20 and the frame 16 a guide bushing 40 diametrically larger than, and replacing the original bushing at 40 is rigidly connected in substantially vertical relation to the frame 16 by any suitable means such as welding 42. A longitudinally slidable control bushing 44 is slidably received in the bushing 40 and is provided with a non-rotative device which may conveniently be the longitudinal groove 46 which engages the key-head formed on the bolt 48 secured in the bushing 44 as at 50.

The control bushing 44 is provided with a stop collar 52 at the bottom thereof so that the adjusting bushing 44 may not pass upwardly through the guide bushing 40. The upwardly or opposite end of the control bushing 44 is provided with a nut-like member 54 (replacing the original hexagonal nut) also having a threaded aperture 56 therein in which is threadedly received the threaded shank 58 of the adjusting rod 60.

The nut-like member 54 is provided with a pair of extending bearing pins and 72 for a purpose presently to be described.

A pair of supporting brackets 74 and 76 are mounted on the frame member 16 on opposite sides of the guide bushing and extend upwardly to have bearing apertures 78 and 80 therein. A control shaft 82 is journaled in the apertures 78 and 80 and preferably retained from longitudinal motion by means of suitable fasteners such as the cotter pins 84. An actuating lever 86 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 82 by any suitable means such as welding so that it is fixed thereto and rotates therewith. A bifurcated end 38 having terminals 90 and 92 is attached thereto. The terminals 90 and 92 are respectively connected to the pins 70 and 72 by any suitable operative connections such as the links 94 and 96. A depending crank 98 is likewise rigidly fixed on the shaft 82 preferably depends therefrom. Shaft 82 with the arm 98 and the lever 86 provides a substantial bell crank that actuation of the arm 98 will cause oscillatory operation of the terminals 90 and 92 thereon.

An operating lever 100 is mounted on a cross bar 102 mounted on the handle 12 by means of a suitable pivot 104. A projecting end or lever 106 is operatively connected to the arm 98 by means of a connecting rod 108. The lever 100 is provided with a detent 110 for cooperation with a quadrant 112 mounted on the cross member 102 so that the lever may be fixed in either of two positions.

In order to prevent loose material to be blown away from the front of the brush 22 depending brackets and 122 are mounted on the frame 16 adjacent to the body 10 and immediately in front of the brush 22. The bracket members 120 and 122 are adjustably connected for vertical sliding relation by means of suitable fasteners such as the bolts 124. The brackets 120 and 122 are provided with vertically extending slots 126 adjacent the lower end thereof and a substantially rigid roller 128 is journaled in the slots 126 by means of journal pins 130. A suitable resilient cover such as felt or rubber may be applied to the exterior surface of the roller 128.

The handles 12 are to be preferably stiffened by means of suitable brace members 14 extending between the extremities of the handle 12 and a portion of the body 10.

In the operation of the construction according to the invention a bell crank lever constituted by the arm 98 the rod or shaft 82 and the lever 86 may be oscillated by means of the lever 100 so that the links 96 and 94 will be operative to cause vertical sliding motion of the control bushing 44 in the guide bushing 48 so that when it is desired to have the brush in operating condition in contact with the surface to be swept the lever will be operated to have the collar 52 move into contact with the end of the guide bushing 40 so that the frame will be in lowered position. However, when it is desired to of the flexible surface 132 will hold down this trash and prevent its being swept or blown away until it can be in intimate contact with the brush 22 which will pick a it up and deposit it in the holder 30.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described according to the best present understanding thereof, it will be apparent that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts thereof without departing from the true spirit and purpose of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A control attachment for a sweeper having a main frame with main wheels at one side of a rotary brush and an auxiliary wheel at the other side of said brush comprising a vertical guide bushing fixed in said frame, a vertical control bushing slidably received in said guide bushing and vertically adjustable therein, a threaded member on the upper end of said control bushing, an adjusting rod extending through said control bushing with a threaded shank on its upper end threaded through said member for screw feed adjustment of said rod in said control bushing, said auxiliary wheel being mounted on the lower end of said rod for raising and lowering relative to said control bushing by screw feed adjustment of said rod, a hand lever pivotally mounted on said frame, means operatively connecting said hand lever to said control bushing for vertically adjusting said control bushing to vertically adjust said wheel independently of adjustment by screw feed adjustment of said rod, and a spline forming connection between said guide and control bushings preventing rotation of said control bushing in said guide bushing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 617,055 Schnepper Jan. 3, 1899 740,063 Thompson Sept. 29, 1903 1,229,127 Osborne June 5, 1917 1,773,992 Gillis Aug. 26, 1930 2,046,679 Furstnow July 7, 1936 2,066,174 Creiger Dec. 29, 1936 2,205,249 Fitzgerald June 18, 1940 2,238,716 Wells Apr. 15, 1941 

